Flexible hemming product



Oct. 17, 1950 c, QUALE 2,526,156

FLEXIBLE HEMMING PRODUCT Filed May 20, 1948 Inventor GERTRUDE o. QUALE Patented Oct. 17, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFlCE 2,526,156 FLEXIBLE HEMMING PRODUCT Gertrude C. Quale, Rochester, Minn.

Application May 20, 1948, Serial No. 28,259

7 Claims.

'This invention relates to a flexible hemming product and method for use therewith. More particularly, it is concerned with new product for finishing fabric articles, such as garments and the like with flexible hems which are invisible from one side of the article and which may be easily employed to finish a hem without requiring the use of needles or more complicated sewing devices.

The hemming of a finished garment, such as a dress or skirt, is a tedious process to a garment maker who does not have access to special mechanical hemming devices. Since a hem or similar edge finish of a garment must be both invisible from the outside of the garment and substantially as flexible as the fabric from which the garment is made, if the garment is to drape properly, no simple satisfactory mechanical devices usable generally with all types of garment fabrics have been developed for accomplishing this type of operation. As a result, unless the more complicated and expensive mechanical hemming units are available to the garment maker, this typeof operation is generally accomplished by tedious hand-sewing process. 7

A principal object of this invention is the provision of new products for hemming fabric with an invisible, flexible hem. Further objects include:

(1) The provision of a new fabric-hemming process;

(2) The provision of garments or other finished fabric goods provided with a hem which is invisible from the exterior side of the fabric and which is substantially as flexible as the fabric itself, in which there is no interlacing between the threads of the fabric and the thread which holds the hem in place;

(3) The provision of a new hemming product, whereby a hem may be finished merely by the use of a hot flat iron as simply as the placing of a crease in the fabric is accomplished; and

(4) The provision of a new type of fabric hem which is not easily destroyed by use of the finished fabric material and which is both flexible and invisible.

Still further objects and the entire scope of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description given hereinafter; it should be understood, however, that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, are given by way of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description. I

These objects are accomplished according to the present invention by the provision of a hemming product which consists of a flexible filamentary member, such as thread, which has portions of adhesive attached thereto at successive intervals along its length and which is shaped into a flat, longitudinal pattern with a series of separated, attached, adhesive portions formed in a line. In the preferred form, the hemming product consists of two lines of separated, adhesive, attached portions, both running substantially parallel to one another'forming the out tions on the other side of the hem edge and final ly activating the adhesive, such as by means of a hot fiat iron, to adhere the adhesive portions to the fabric.

A more complete understanding of the products and procedures of this invention may be had by reference to the attached drawing, in which:

Figure l is a top view of the preferred form of a hemming product according to this invention, showing a hem finished in accordance with this invention; I

Figures 2 to 5 are diagrammatic views of alternative forms of the hemming devices of this invention;

Figure 6 is a diagrammatic view of the hemming product of the form shown in Figure 1,

used in a curved hem.

Referring in'detail to the drawing, my hemming device preferably consists of a thread or equivalent filamentary member 2 provided at successive intervals along its length with an attached, adhesive portion 4. The thread 2 is shaped so that it retains the form of a substantially fiat longitudinal pattern having parallel sides 6 and 8. The zigzag pattern is created by placing sharp turns in the thread 2 at regular intervals, these turns being so located that they occur at the points where the spots of adhesive 4 are attached or coated upon the thread 2.

flat longitudinal pattern consists of an aligned series of adhesive spots held together by the uncoated cross portions so of the thread.

The turns in the thread may be of different forms.

turns consist of a tight, double loop 92. Other In this fashion, the outer edge of each side of the In my-preferred product, the thread forms of turns, for providing the zigzag pattern are shown in Figures 2 to 4 and include a triangular cross-over turn M, such as shown in Fig ure 2; a right-angle cross-over turn i6, such as shown in Figure 3; right-angle, loop-back turns [8, such as shown in Figure 4. In each case, a spot or coating of adhesive is attached to the thread in the area of the apex of each of the turns and the thread is looped several times at the adhesive portion, so as to form a covering on the upper side of the adhesive portion.

A modified form of my hemming product is shown in Figure 5. In this form, the longitudinal flat thread pattern is formed by a thread 2 having double-loop sections 20 in line along one side of the pattern and a series of tape or gauge tabs 22 attached in the pattern along the other edge by means of the thread 2 passing through the tabs 22.

The production of a hem, using my hemming products, is very simple. The first step, as may be seen by reference to Figure 1, is to fold the fabric 24 along an edge 26, so as to form the desired width of hem 23. My product is then laid over the hem edge 30 so that one line of the adhesive spots lies on one side of the hem edge as, while the other line of adhesive spots is on the other side of the hem edge. With the hemming product thus positioned over the hem edge, the adhesive spots are activated, such as by means of a hot iron and the activated adhesive is pressed against the fabric 24. The hemming product and fabric are then held in position for as long as necessary to set the adhesive and as soon as this is accomplished, the hem is completed.

With the form of the product shown in Figure 5, the hem is formed by first sewing the product to the fabric 24 by means of stitches 32. Then the final hem is produced by ironing the line of adhesive spots to the fabric.

It is not only possible to form straight hems, as shown in Figure 1, using my products, but also curved hems, such as shown in Figure 6, and even other oddly-shaped hems of more complicated shape. In all cases, the resulting hem is substantially as flexible as the original fabric itself.

The most important use for my hemming product and method is in the finishing of apparel garments, such as dresses, skirts, or the like, where the features of invisibility and flexibility of the resulting hems are of utmost importance. However, the use of my invention is not limited to garments or apparel manufacture, but it may be applied generally to all sorts of fabric finishing operations in which a hem is to be applied to the fabric. The examples of other such operations include the finishing of drapes, curtains, table cloths, or similar articles.

Preferably, my products are made from small size flexible threads of the common twist variety, but it is possible to use lengths of other similar filamentary members, such as untwisted, monofilaments. Two or more parallel or loosely twisted threads or filaments may be also used in place of a single strand. If desired, sizing may be incorporated in the thread from which my hemming product is made so that a product having sufficient stiffness to permit easy handling is obtained, but once it is hemmed, the sizing may be removed to yield a very flexible structure.

My products are preferably made with a made with solvent or water activated adhesives. thermoplastic adhesive, although they may be Generally, the type of adhesive which is nontacky at normal temperature, but which is made thermoplastic at elevated temperatures, should be employed. It is desirable for the adhesive to have a relatively high softening or activation point, if of the thermoplastic type, so that only the higher ranges of the common electric flat iron will soften the adhesive. Thus, the product may be used to form a hem b means of the higher heat range of an electrical fiat iron and will not be disturbed by the ironing of the hemmed garment with the lower heat ranges of the iron. The overlay of thread at the adhesive spots helps to prevent the adhesive from directly contacting the iron and injuring either the iron or the product.

This invention provides new products by which a hem may be made on a garment or similar finished fabric articles by an operation which is as simple as pressing the hem into the fabric. Furthermore, a hem'which is finished by my products may be easily altered by applying a moderate heat to the hem, then gently prying loose the adhered fastening products, and finally reforming the hem by reapplication of the product as described above. These hemming products may be merchandized as staple articles of commerce and may be purchased by the dress maker or other users in a variety of colors to be adapted to any particular fabric finishing problem. 7

I claim:

l. A product of the for use in producing fiexible, invisible hems on fabric garments which comprises a thread shaped in a flat, zigzag pattern having a portion of adhesive attached at each apex in the pattern.

2. A product for use in hemming fabric articles with a flexible hem that is invisible from one side of the article which comprises a flexible filament shaped into a two-dimensional, longitudinal pattern in which successive portions of the member alternate between two substantially parallel lines which define the outer sides of said pattern, said member having spots of adhesive attached thereto at the sections thereof that are adjacent the sides of the pattern.

3. A product for use in hemi ing fabric articles with a flexible hem that is inv le from one side of the article which comprises a thread having adhesive coated thereon at successive spaced intervals and being shaped so that the locus of a1- ternating adhesive coated sections is a line with the locus of the remaining alternating adhesive coated sections also a line which is parallel to the first line.

4. A product for use in hemming fabric articles with a flexible hem that is invisible from one side of the article which comprises a thread shaped into a flat longitudinal zigzag pattern having substantially parallel sides with a portion of thermoplastic adhesive attached to the thread each side turn.

5. A product for use in hemming fabric gar ments with a flexible hein that is invisible from the exterior side of the garment which comprises a thread formed with small double loops at successive regular intervals along its leng h, said double loop sections of the thread being coated with spots of thermoplastic adhesive, said thread being shaped with alternative loop sections fir-zed in a line and th other alternative loop sections fixed in a line parallel to the first line, whereby the thread forms a fiat. longitudinal zigzag pattern having substantially parallel sides.

6. A finished fabric article having a flexible hem which is invisible from one side of the article, said hem being held in place by means of a thread which does not interlace with any of the threads of the fabric and which is attached to the fabric by spots of adhesive, said adhesive-attached portions being alternately staggered on opposite sides of the hem edge, with the sections of said thread between each of said adhesive sections being unattached to the fabric.

7. A garment having a hem which is invisible from the exterior of the garment and which may be easily flexed, said hem being held in place by means of a thread which zigzags across the edge of the hem with each turn of the thread stuck to the fabric of the garment by means of a spot of adhesive, the sections of the thread between each of said adhered turns being unattached to the garment.

GERTRUDE C. QUALE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,291,382 Bohan Jan. 14, 1919 1,575,844 Jones et al Mar. 9, 1926 1,793,328 Lombard et a1 Feb. 17, 1931 2,189,067 Hlavaty Feb. 6, 1940 2,200,720 Morin et al. May 14, 1940 2,227,214 Bisberg Dec. 31, 1940 Certificate of Correction Patent No. 2,526,156 October 1'1, 1950 GERTRUDE c. QUALE It is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specification of the above numbered patent requiring correction as follows: Column 3, lines 74 and 7 5, for the Words and period made with solvent or Water activated adhesives. thermoplastic adhesive, although they may be read thermoplastic adhesive, although they may be made with solvent or water activated adhesioea; v and that the said Letters Patent should be read as corrected above, so that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Ofiice. Signed and sealed th1s 30th day of January, A. D. 1951.

THOMAS F. MURPHY,

Assistant Commissioner of Patents, 

